Cabbage and Kalua Pork

Cabbage
1 medium-sized head of cabbage (about 2 lbs.)
4 T. butter
1 tsp. each curry powder and sugar
3 or more cloves garlic, minced
8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (optional)

Core and shred cabbage and place in a small amount of boiling salted water; cover and cook rapidly under tender-crisp, 3 to 6 minutes depending on how finely shredded. Drain.
At serving time, melt butter in a 10-inch fry pan; stir in curry powder, sugar, and garlic. Add cabbage and cook, over high heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Salt to taste and add bacon, if you’re using it.
Makes about 4 to 6 servings.
Source: Sunset’s Ideas for Cooking Vegetables (1973)
kalua and green onion

Kalua Pork
12 to 16 ozs. kalua pork, commercially made
5 to 6 stalks of chopped green onions, stems and bulbs, locally grown, if possible

Shred the pork by hand. Heat a medium sized wok until a sprinkle of water sizzles. Add pork and occasionally toss until somewhat dried out and crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes. About a minute before removing, add green onions, toss, and cook.
cabbage and kalua

If you want some heat, add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes or awamori or whatevah.
Serve pork under or over cabbage or as a tower with rice as the base.

For years I’ve been making kalua pork and cabbage. In the 1980s when I was convinced that fat was bad, I’d empty to carton of pork into a saucepan, add a little water, boil, then strain the pork and further shred it. I’d add this to the sauteed cabbage, add some shoyu, and then serve this over rice.  Not bad but missing the whole point — fat.

This version of kalua and cabbage was the result of Pearl sharing a bunch of hydroponically grown green onions and my making pork tikka and getting positive reviews from Mike about crispy pork.  I wanted something more than just sauteed cabbage so Sunset provided this version with curry.

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